Transportation - The Fully Enclosed Motorcycle

OK one more time for this approach. Here's an all electric one person vehicle that the manufacturer does not claim to be a 3-wheel car

Not bad looking. It drives the rear wheel only which I suppose is less expensive and complex than driving both the front wheels although I suspect this will prove problematic on an icy, snow-packed road. Of course if you don't expect to see many of those, then this may be just what you want. Looks like a pretty good choice for either commuting to work or for your kid at college.

Range is listed as 100 miles, and top speed as 80-85. The usual caveat for electrics is that you get to choose. You won't get both. If your kids college is over 100 miles away, you don't need to worry about them coming home for laundry every weekend.

MSRP is about $18,000 which is a bit on the high side for a commuter motorcycle, but includes all the amenities you've come to expect in a car, including 2 doors and bluetooth.

The full-width body no doubt makes for a fairly roomy interior and a flat floor makes getting in and out from either side easy. This may sell well in places like Yuma and Florida where golf carts are popular even though I'm having a hard time seeing where your clubs would go. Maybe there's an aftermarket for a club caddy with highway rated tires to be towed behind.

Made by Electra Meccanica, currently at a motorcycle plant in China, they plan to move production to Vancouver in about 2 years. At the link there's even a calculator you can use to compare operating costs with various gasoline powered vehicles for gas prices as low as $1/liter (about $4/gallon).

They also have a 2-seat roadster in the pipe with more impressive performance and priced at $50K-$100K depending on where you source the price.

Here's another write up by a professional journalist with more info.